CS, AFP General Romeo Brawner telling troops to prepare for war.

Armed Forces of the Philippine chief General Romeo Brawner Jr. told Filipino troops to be ready in case of an invasion of Taiwan as China launched military exercises around Taipei.

In his speech, Brawner said the Northern Luzon Command (Nolcom), is expected to lead the operation for the rescue of 250,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Taiwan.

“Start planning for actions in case there is an invasion of Taiwan, because if something happens to Taiwan, inevitably we will be involved,” Brawner said during Nolcom’s founding anniversary.

“There are 250,000 OFWs working in Taiwan and we will have to rescue them. And it will be the task of Nolcom to be at the front line of that operation,” he added.

China’s military said it had sent its army, navy, air and rocket forces to surround Taiwan for drills it said were aimed at practicing a blockade of the self-ruled island, Agence France-Presse reported.

Beijing insists that democratic Taipei was part of its territory and has threatened to use force to bring the island under its control. China has boosted the deployment of fighter jets and naval vessels around Taiwan in recent years to push its claim of sovereignty, which Taipei rejects.